


As Long As We Have Each Other

by addictedtofiction7190



Series: B-day Notps: Trade your frown for your friend's smile [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Austria is in love with Hungary's frying pan, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Birthday Cynthia!, Ice Skating, M/M, Pancakes, Piggyback Rides, Prussia is a drama queen, SO MUCH FLUFF, Visiting the family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:44:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addictedtofiction7190/pseuds/addictedtofiction7190
Summary: In which the couple finally find some time to spend together. What was originally going to be a relaxing day of fun turned into a series of bizarre events. At the end of the day, they are just thankful for each other’s company.





	

It was mornings like these that made Gilbert never want to get out of bed. He was nice and comfortable, all warm from being encased by layers of blankets draped on top of him. It was a cold night and he liked the feeling of being surrounded by fuzzy, soft materials. Hence, his mornings usually consisted of him struggling to escape the pile alive. Yet he gladly does it again later that night. Call him a masochist, but the blanket method is the best method.

 

He let out a tiny yawn and tried to move his hands to rub the weariness away. Instead of accomplishing his mission, he was met with resistance as the bundle of warmth in his arms began to stir. His yearning to stretch was soon banished from his thoughts when he snuggled into the heat.

 

His personal pillow let out a weak squeal of protest but didn’t try to move away, causing a warm, bubbly feeling to arise in Gilbert’s stomach. Three years of being together yet he still managed to fall in love all over again. Every morning was a blessing; he woke up next to the love of his life. No matter how cheesy it sounded, he really just wanted the time to stop at this exact moment. If the world ended right now, he wouldn’t have any complaints.

 

Another few tiny moans sounded when Gilbert grabbed ahold of his partner and buried his face into his hair. He felt the wavy blond strands tickle his face drawing out tiny chuckles from the albino. Meanwhile, the blond was plunged into Gilbert’s chest and was struggling to breathe.

 

Sensing his discomfort, Gilbert loosened his grip and allowed the blond to pull away and take in some much needed oxygen. The blond he cradled in his arms sent him a sleepy look and began experimenting on where he felt most comfortable. He sighed in content when he found the perfect spot at the crook of Gilbert’s neck and closed his eyes in bliss. At that, Gilbert let out a deep laugh, his voice still raspy from waking up in the morning. His partner only hummed along, being lulled right back to sleep by the vibrations he could feel from pressing his ears against the source of the laughter.

 

They stayed still like that for a moment. It was a moment where Gilbert could gaze at his partner. He looked angelic. His golden-blond hair added as a halo to his already precious face. In his arms, he tightly squeezed a stuffed teddy bear; Kumajiro, the polar bear plushie Gilbert won at the fair on their first date. It was a gift from years ago, yet the blond treated it like a kid would with a brand new toy, refusing to let it go. It was adorable. He was adorable.  

 

All good moments had an ending. It was necessary in order for new ones to take its place, better ones to form and take shape. Gilbert hated disrupting these peaceful moments, he couldn’t help it this time though. He had the best day ever planned and this was causing it to run behind schedule. The albino progressed to gently shaking his partner, murmuring sweet things in his ear and trying to coax him to wake up.

 

“Matthew, wake up!” Gilbert attempted for the fifth time.

 

Unlike all the other unsuccessful tries, his wish was granted and the blond opened his eyes. His crimson eyes were met with innocent blue orbs. The blond grabbed one of his arms and clung tightly to it, similar to a koala hugging a tree. Fudge. He could feel his heart melt once more and a wide smile blossomed across his face. It was times like this that made him want to call a friend and rub it in their faces that they don’t have a boyfriend like his.‘ _Haha losers, the awesome me has the best and cutest boyfriend_ ,’ he would say.

 

“It’s still early, Gilbert. Can’t we just sleep in for a little while?” Matthew protested in a weak whisper.

 

The albino only let out a loud chuckle as a response and shifted to allow himself to place a kiss on the blond’s forehead.

 

“Nope! I have a long day planned. Come on, get up!” Gilbert sat up and tried to tug the blond up with him at the same time. Matthew, reluctant to get up, clinged onto the blanket for his dear life.

 

Suddenly, Gilbert had a breakthrough, one of his few eureka moments. With a smirk of confidence plastered on his face he said the magic words.

 

“We can make pancakes for breakfast.”

 

Matthew’s eyes snapped open with flame-like passion dancing within the bright blue orbs. His previously tried and still-waking-up body was jolted by a lightning from hearing those six words.

 

If there was ever anything you needed to know about Matthew Williams, it was that he loved pancakes. He loved baking them, eating them, looking at them, and just pancakes in general. An obligation for becoming his boyfriend was that they must be as equally crazy as he was about pancakes. And for that reason, Gilbert was his ideal partner.

 

Blankets were shoved aside as they made their attempt at escaping their nest. Within a few minutes, teamwork led them to having a perfectly made bed as well as a few pecks on the lips in between each bump into each other.

 

After getting dressed, they made their way over to the washroom for their morning routines. Sadly, Matthew had to leave behind his precious stuffed bear in the bedroom.

 

Making his way over to the tap, Gilbert began filling up two cups with water while Matthew stayed behind him occupying himself with the duty of applying toothpaste on the toothbrushes. They had a hand off once the cups were filled and toothpaste was squeezed.

 

Toothbrush in hand and a cup full of water for rinsing, they were armed to defeat morning breath. Once the brushing commenced, foam started to pile at the edges of their mouths. A glance at Matthew sent Gilbert overboard with discourse. He submerged himself in ice cold water from the tap in panic. Shiz. He was too cute. He looked like a child who had crafted a snow angel face first. Gilbert realized this happened a lot in their relationship. There wasn’t a day where he didn’t do something stupid due to his boyfriend’s cuteness.

 

“Are you okay?” Matthew asked after he rinsed away the mouthful of foam.

 

Gilbert responded with a nod and reached for a towel to dry his face with. The two continued on with their individual routines. Gilbert finished before Matthew and decided to prepare the kitchen ahead of time. The blond lingered behind for a few more minutes before he went back to the bedroom to grab his glasses. After he could see clearly again, he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen.  

 

When Matthew arrived, he was met with the sight of his boyfriend’s face being caked in white powder. He was also greeted by the joyous chirping coming from Gilbird, Gilbert’s pet bird from when he was little.

 

Gilbird was a present from his parents for his tenth birthday. He had been with him through everything and together, they had forged an unbreakable bond. Whenever Gilbert was feeling lonely or sad, the yellow chick would comfort him with sounds of ‘piyo’ and brighten his day.

 

Matthew couldn’t help but slightly giggle at the scene before him. Gilbert’s face was molded into a pout which sent the blond into another fit of laughter.

 

“What...What happened?” Matthew asked in between tiny giggles.

 

“I was getting the box of pancake mix from the cupboard but it fell and  sprayed all over my body. This is not cool. I smell awesomely delicious though,” Gilbert said while inhaling the white powder he coated himself with.

 

“Yes yes, you are awesome. Now go upstairs and clean yourself up while I take care of the kitchen,” Matthew said while grabbing a cloth to mop up the mess.

 

Gilbert gave a slight frown, disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to make pancakes with his boyfriend. He followed the instructions though, dragging himself up the stairs without too much movement, careful to not spill any flour and make sure he doesn’t increase the workload for the blond.

 

Once Matthew was alone in the kitchen, he let loose a sigh he had been holding back. Gilbert had always been like this, a troublemaker with the maturity of a five-year-old. _It was one of the many reasons why he fell for the albino in the first place._

 

Sure, Gilbert was a bit immature at times but he wouldn’t trade him away for anything. After all, two years worth of pining would be wasted if he suddenly woke up one day and decided he found the prussian (Gilbert incised on being acknowledged as that for his nationality) a pain. He shook his head to clear away his thoughts and continued to clean.

 

By the time Gilbert came back after a long shower, Matthew was already making his final pancake, pouring the remaining batter that wasn’t used to decorate Gilbert’s face into a mouth-watering breakfast.

 

Gilbert stood for a while, unsure of what to do. The blond was immersed into the creation of the pancakes, blocking out the outside world and along with it the existence of his lover. The albino debated for moment on his next actions before the childish part of him took over.

 

“I’m hungry~” Gilbert whined, pressing his face into Matthew’s back while his hands tunneled their way under his arms resulting in a hug from behind.

 

Matthew jointed a little at the sudden contact but relaxed, thankful for the warmth that radiated from other. He could see the tips of his lips curling up at the actions of his boyfriend.

 

“The pancakes will be done soon. I just need to finish this last one. We each can only get three this time, since there was a shortage on batter.”

 

Matthew allowed himself a quick glance at Gilbert. His face was coated with disappointment, a hint of guilt thrown in as well. They made eye contact and Matthew was suddenly pulled into a kiss. It was soft. It was nice. He was happily in a trance until the smell of burning batter was detected.

 

He quickly shoved the prussian away and tried his best to salvage the burnt pancake. Unfortunately, heaven called the pancake early and there wasn’t any hope for the pancake’s survival.

 

Nevertheless, Matthew remained composed (although he would really like to smack Gilbert a couple of times for killing a perfectly good pancake when it was already a pancake shortage day) and crammed the disappointment down the garbage bin. He mentally did a short prayer for food scrap, hopefully it would be returned into the environment soon.

 

After Gilbert apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time, they were finally seated at the dining table. It was decided that Gilbert was the owner of the extra pancake through a game of rock paper scissors (a game where Gilbert total didn’t cheat in). They covered the pancakes in thick layers of maple syrup before digging right in.

 

It was amazing. Pancakes and maple syrup were always amazing. But today, it felt especially better. Maybe it was the fact that he was enjoying a meal with his boyfriend. This was their first breakfast together in a whole week, and god, did it feel good to be accompanied by each other’s presence.

 

Gilbert was halfway done devouring the third pancake when Matthew finished his last bite. He longingly gave a sad look at the forkful of deliciousness. The albino noticed and stopped in mid-bite. He gave the blond a gentle nudge to attract his attention. Once the goal was reached, he lifted his forkful of pancake and brought it to the blond’s mouth, urging him to finish the remaining portion of the food.

 

Matthew happily took the bite, stuffing his cheeks enough to look like a chipmunk. Gilbert rewarded the act of adorableness with a peck on the cheek. It was sticky and wet, but Matthew didn’t mind one bit, occupied with the thought of how his boyfriend was the sweetest thing in the world. Not just because he tasted like maple syrup at the moment but his sudden, unexpected acts of affection.

 

When they finished eating and the cleaning up that followed, Gilbert announced the plans he had for the day off. They were going to watch a hockey game early in the morning. After that, they would go to the neighbourhood where most of Gilbert’s family reside in since he had to drop off an item for his cousin Roderich Edelstein, a whiny pianist.

 

Gilbert grabbed his coat and car keys before exiting the house. Matthew was behind him in close pursuit after he locked the front door. They got into the car together, fastened their seat belt, and headed off to their hockey date.

 

It was a bit warm outside in their winter jackets and hats. It was bearable though. Their uncomfort was quickly soothed by the breeze of chilling air nipping at their exposed skin once they entered the arena. Thank god they had worn the appropriate attire.

 

There was a bit of time before the game started. A whole hour’s worth. Spontaneously deciding that he wanted to skate, Gilbert dragged Matthew to a stall and rented out two pairs of skates.

 

“What? Gilbert, what about the game?” Matthew asked a bit confused.

 

“Don’t worry. We have tons of time. I want to see you skate. C’mon!” Gilbert didn’t wait for a response as he grabbed ahold of Matthew’s left hand, intertwined their fingers together in a comforting fashion, and led him to a rink where they allowed free style skating.

 

It was an amusing sight to see. Gilbert kept slipping and falling. Sometimes he pulled Matthew down with him when he sensed his unbalanced footing. Most of the time, they ended up in a pile of tangled limbs. They had fun though. Their laughter expressed the amount of joy they felt.

 

At one point, Gilbert fell so miserably that a little kid pointed him out to his friends and taunted him. The leader of the group led his followers to skate circles around Gilbert’s fallen body. Gilbert felt humiliated. Matthew wanted to help him up. Until he saw Gilbert’s pout that is. Afterwards, he was too busy trying to keep his giggling in check and regulating his oxygen intake.

 

The loops continued on for what seemed like the longest time in Gilbert’s life. They only stopped when the smallest boy of the group fell. They ceased their strutting to tend to the boy. It was a sight to see. Five previously vicious demons, picking on a prey, suddenly turned into cute cuddly puppies trying to cheer up their master.

The leader almost tripped while trying to get to the boy’s side. The two shared a shushed conversation while the rest of the four in the group stood guard. With the help of his friends, the little boy was led out of the rink. Off the ice, the leader lifted the injured boy into a princess carry and kissed his forehead.

 

Gilbert was stunned. Silenced by what happened. His anger at the group melted away. Holy damn. They were so cute. A glance at Matthew notified him they shared about the same thought.

 

“That was a bit unexpected,” Matthew said softly, a smile displayed on his face.

 

Gilbert returned the smile. “The awesome me was defeated by a group of ten year olds. They were cute though,” he admitted.

 

“You want to continue skating?” Matthew offered.

 

“Nah. After that, I wouldn’t want another group to appear out of nowhere and starting a flash mob in front of me. Kids are strangely talented,” the albino joked.

 

“Take a break then. Sit at the benches so you won’t get tired. I want to continue a bit longer. Is that fine?” Matthew requested permission with a glint in his eyes.

 

Gilbert gave him is proval with the flick of his hands. Seeing the signal, the blonde began to skate far, far away from the struggling albino.

 

It was like a captured animal returning to its natural habitat after being caged for a long period of him. He was breath-taking. The blonde danced across the ice so naturally it was as if he was borned with a pair of skates.

 

He remembered hearing stories about his boyfriend’s childhood. Stories about how his adopted parents would bring him and his twin to the ice rink. This was his way of defeating his more outgoing twin. When it came to the ice, Matthew was unstoppable.

 

After watching a spectacular performance by Matthew, applause sounded across the rink from the people who stopped their activities. Everyone was captivated by the talented skater.

 

Matthew left the rink and made his way to the benches. Gilbert greeted him with a proud smile. He wanted to pull his companion into a hug, but was stopped by the blonde claiming he was too sweaty. His warning was ignored and the two embraced anyways.

 

“Let’s go! The game’s going to start soon,” the albino suggested.

 

The two went to return the rented skates and stopped by a food cart for a cup of hot chocolate. Matthew carried their shared cup in one hand while the other was occupied by Gilbert’s left hand. After being in the cold for so long, he was thankful for the contact. It did tons for warming up his body.

 

They made it to their seats right before the match began. Chatting helped to pass the few minutes they had left before the game officially started.

 

Once the players entered the rink, Matthew was immediately invested in the game. Gilbert tried to get a slip of hot chocolate only to be shoved away.

 

The albino reluctantly held in his thirst and waited until the intermission to make another attempt at obtaining the delicious, chocolaty beverage. There was no other choice. Once Matthew enters game mode for hockey, even god can’t drag him back. Pancakes came close once but never did it ever succeed.   

 

The buzzer sounded to signal a break after about an hour later. It took a long time; Gilbert probably could have went and bought another drink sometime during that period.

 

He didn’t mind though, staring at Matthew’s expressions during the game was enough for him. When people pay to see a sports game, they would do it for the players. For Gilbert, he paid the fee so he could watch the one  he loved with every ounce of his heart laugh, cheer, and sometimes, scream in rage. He’d honestly think the star of the show wasn’t the players on the ice, which the crowds were madly cheering for, but rather the enthusiastic blonde seated right beside him.

 

“-See the trick. What did you think?” Matthew asked him.

 

Gilbert was so absorbed into his thoughts of Matthew that he missed the question proposed by the blonde.

 

“What? Sorry, I was distracted. What was the question?” Gilbert asked.

 

“Nevermind, I don’t really think you were paying attention anyways,” Matthew said a little disappointed.

 

“You’re right, I wasn’t. I was too busy staring at you instead,” Gilbert smoothly said.

 

Matthew blushed a little, startled by the sudden proclamation. Of course. Leave it to his boyfriend to be the cheesiest sap in the world. He let a tiny smile form on his face while the rest of him was too occupied with being bashful.

 

“Hey, you might if I take a slip from the hot chocolate?” Gilbert asked, already reaching for the cup.

 

Matthew took a drink from the cup before he handed it over to him. He knew that by a slip the albino meant the whole cup. It felt amazing when the warm liquid travelled to his stomach warming his cold body. Now that the game wasn’t diverting his attention from his surroundings, he noticed that sometime during the game, the temperature levels dropped. Luckily, he had a warm scarf.

 

Remembering his partner, he did a quick observation of the albino. As predicted, the rest of the hot chocolate was quickly drained by the prussian. However, he also noted that his boyfriend was shivering a little, perhaps from the cold.

 

“Are you cold?” the canadian asked, a bit worried about the well-being of his boyfriend.  

 

“I’m fine. A little cold won’t be enough to make me admit defeat!” Gilbert broasted.

 

Matthew gave a little shook of his head and began untying his scarf from his neck. When the fabric was freed, he grabbed a hold of Gilbert’s arm and pulled the albino towards him. When the distance was close enough, he processed to wrapping the scarf around both of their necks. His hand also found its way to grab one of Gilbert’s. Now, they can both warm each other up.

 

Gilbert gave Matthew a grateful smile and snuggled closer to the blonde. He buried his face on the crook of Matthew’s neck. It felt hot where they made contact. The prussian’s breathing also distracted Matthew. Yet, despite whatever discomforts he felt, the warm feeling he received from this cuddling was more than enough to override the negatives.

 

In a blink of the eye, the hockey game was reinstituted and once again Matthew devoted his mind to focus on the game. This time however, he made sure to reduce his movements since he was supporting another person on his shoulder. It was wonderful, the rollercoaster of the game. It had its ups and downs, the loops, and flips. At one point, it felt like the coaster was halted right before a huge drop. Everyone was screaming when the member managed to score within the last few seconds.

 

Matthew was grinning when the game ended. He was satisfied with the results. As his experience allowed him, he correctly predicted the winning team. He wasn’t one for pride but when it came to hockey, that was a whole different story.

 

Gilbert was being awfully quiet. Usually, once the game ended he would let the blonde release everything he was feeling to the albino and listened to every piece of detail. This time however, he didn’t initiate the conversation.

 

The cause of that was revealed once Matthew noticed the sleeping prussian on his shoulder. It was cute. His white hair was being ruffled up and pieces of it were sticking up.

 

The blonde was a little crushed that he had to disrupt this cute sight. But he was obligated to do so once the staff began clearing out the audience so clean up for the arena could begin.

 

“Gilbert, wake up. Everyone’s leaving. We can sleep at home, okay?” Matthew whispered.

 

“Mhm,” the albino complained. He wanted to sleep a little longer.

 

“Don’t we have to go see your cousin today?” the blonde reminded him.

 

Gilbert jolted up from his seat and startled Matthew in the process of doing so. The two were connected together by Matthew’s red wool scarf, literally by a red string of fate. The sudden movement caused the two to choke a little when the pull occurred.

 

Realizing the situation, Gilbert quickly seated once more to prevent further damage.

 

“Sorry! Are you okay?” the prussian asked in a concerned tone.    

 

“I’m fine,” the blonde said in confirmation. “Just a little startled.”

 

Before getting up again, the two freed themselves from the bond and Gilbert wrapped the red scarf back on the blonde. Hand in hand, they exited the building and made their way over to the car.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you off before I head over to see Roderich? He can be a bit too much sometimes,” Gilbert scoffed.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m pretty sure Elizabeta is going to be there and I really want to see her again. The recipes she gave last time worked like a charm and I really want to learn more,” Matthew said in excitement.

 

“Wow. I never thought I would hear someone be this excited to see my lame cousin,” Gilbert teased.

 

“Don’t be so mean to Roderich, Gilbert. He is your cousin,” the blonde lectured.

 

“Yeah, he’s my cousin. Cousins have the right to tease and insult each other. I’m just doing my job and maintaining order within the realm of cousins by pointing out how lacking he is compared to me,” Gilbert stated.

 

“Your logic doesn’t make sense at all, but I’m too tired to have this argument again with you.”

 

“Whatever. Ready to go?” Gilbert asked when they arrived at the car.

 

“Mhm,” the blonde replied and got into the car.

 

It was a half hour drive from their previous location to Roderich’s house. Matthew’s face morphed into disgust once Justin Bieber came on the radio. He always cursed the fact that they originated from the same country. Luckily, America took most of the blame for the singer, one of the only few instances he was happy that his homeland was overshadowed by its neighbour.

 

Gilbert, however, acted like an excited teenage girl. He was screaming out lyrics as loud as he could while dancing along as much as the restraining seat belts would allow him. Matthew was glad he was driving this time or else it would’ve definitely be their cause of death.

 

It didn’t take too long before they arrived at Roderich’s house. It was noticeable, being the only mansion in the neighbourhood. Gilbert snorted every time he saw it. It definitely suited Roderich to live in such a house.

 

They walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. It could be heard echoing inside the house. A minute later, there was finally a response.

 

The front door opened just as quickly as it was slammed shut. Gilbert shouted at it in rage. Matthew calmed him down before ringing the doorbell once more. This time, Matthew was in front.

 

Elizabeta opened the door again and her scowl turned to a bright smile at the sight of Matthew.

 

“Hey! Matthew! So nice of you to visit! Come in!” she beckoned and opened the door to its full length.    

 

The blonde politely thanked her for the invitation before entering the house. Just when the albino was planning on trailing behind, an arm blocked his way. He was met with a look of disapproval from Elizabeta.

 

“Come on, Eli! Let me in!” the albino begged.

 

“Why are you here, Gil?” she asked him in a bored tone.

 

“I’m here to return Roderich’s frying pan,” he said.

 

Elizabeta changed the stern look into a confused one.

 

“Where is the said frying pan?” she questioned.

 

“Oh shi- I mean, shine a light,” he cursed. Being with Matthew made him careful with his language. His brother was right when he said the blonde would be a good influence for him.  

 

After he came back with the frying pan, Elizabeta didn’t even object to letting him in. Quite opposite actually. She gestured for him to enter even welcoming his presence.

 

“Bring a frying pan if you ever want to enter Roderich’s house,” he mumbled under his breath.

 

As they made their way around the house, the melodic sound of a piano playing can be heard. The speed arranged itself often and never kept a constant; infuriating in Gilbert’s opinion. He hated his cousin’s style of playing, it annoyed him to no end. His boyfriend on the other hand thought it was great. It wasn’t that he had a problem with appreciating good music, but rather, everyone else is deaf.

 

They walked down a long, long, hallway before reaching a grand door at the end of the path. Elizabeta grabbed a hold of the handle and open a gateway to the room. The sudden increase in volume made Gilbert want to gag. He now have to face an even louder version of his cousin’s disastrous piano playing. Ugh.

 

Noticing their presences, Roderich unfortunately (or fortunately in Gilbert’s case) ceased his playing. Roderich’s displeasure at being disrupted was obvious, yet, he remained composed and politely greeted his guest.

 

“It is nice to see you, Matthew,” a nod of approval and welcome followed. His glance flickered over to Gilbert and he swore, for a second, he could see a vein popping out on Roderich’s forehead. Gilbert ignored it of course, he was too busy trying to hide a smirk that developed from seeing Roderich’s foul mood. As a kid, he always did enjoy seeing his cousin being riled up. He still does now.

 

“Gilbert, what do I owe for the pleasure of your presence?” Roderich sarcastically spat out with a fake smile.

 

“Nothing much. Just came to return your frying pan,” Gilbert responded shrugging his shoulders.

 

Hearing the word ‘frying pan’, Roderich’s eyes widen and immediately turned his attention to the object held by the albino.

 

His faked smile was exchanged for a genuine one and a spine-tingling high pitch squeal was released. Matthew watched the scene with confusion while Elizabeta just sighed. Gilbert just looked bored and ready to kill someone if the pan wasn’t taken out of his hand within the next few seconds.

 

Roderich let a single manly tear fall out of his eye.

 

“My love, you had returned to my side,” he whispered in a delicate tone caked with emotion.

 

He stared longingly at the frying pan; time was slowed. He opened his arms wide, waiting for the pan to run into the embrace. He froze in that position with tears escaping from his eyes.

 

Elizabeta nudged Gilbert, urging him to deliver the frying pan and end the madness at once. Grumbling some nonsense, the albino lazily walked to his cousin’s side and held out the frying pan in front of his face.

 

Without waiting for Roderich to reach up and grab the item, Gilbert took a big swing and slammed the pan onto his face. He barked out laughter and mentally high-fived himself for his stroke of genius.

 

Elizabeta let out a scowl of disapproval but couldn’t do anything to prevent the action. Matthew flickered between wanting to laugh at the incident or worry about Roderich who literally just got hit in the face by a steel plate.

 

Roderich, however, paid no attention to the event. He was too immersed into nursing his frying pan. It was disturbing in a way, seeing a grown man carest an inanimate object while whispering sweet things to it. This could be a scene taken directly from a horror movie.

 

Matthew stared with discomfort and looked to Elizabeta to see her reaction. After all, this was her husband that was cradling a frying pan in his arms; a bonding moment for sure.

 

“Are you fine with this?” the blonde asked in concern.

 

“We might be married, but, I will always be the second wife to his frying pan,” Elizabeta bitterly confessed.

 

“Remind me again, how the amazing, awesome, childhood best friend I had, is reduced to being a housewife for my wimpy cousin who is madly in love with a frying pan? I mean, you socked a guy in the face back in third grade for calling you girly. Why my cousin of all people?” Gilbert questioned.

 

“I thought he loved me. He was so romantic back when he was chasing after my love. Who knew, all he wanted was to get my frying pan,” Elizabeta spoke with rage.

 

“You could always file for a divorce,” Matthew suggested.

 

“It’s fine. Gilbert was wrong about me being the housewife. Roderich’s the one who cleans, does the dirty laundry and cooks. His food is heavenly due to the excessive amount of time he spends in the kitchen. I’m quite satisfied with the life I’m living right now,” Elizabeta explained.

 

“EWW! Is he making out with the frying pan!?” Gilbert suddenly exclaimed.

 

“I feel like my husband wants alone time right now and as his wife I am obligated to grant that wish,” Elizabeta said while shoving the two guests out of the room. They sealed off the door and along with it the intimate moments of Roderich and his beloved frying pan.

 

“Haven’t seen him in a month and he’s gotten even crazier,” Gilbert commented.

 

“Watch your mouth! That’s my husband you are talking about,” Elizabeta commanded.

 

“Seriously though, why him?”

 

“Look here mister-”

 

“Umm, guys,” Matthew cut in. “If you don’t mind me interrupting, I was wondering if you have anymore of those recipes for me, Elizabeta.”

 

“Oh yeah, a whole bunch. I think it's in the kitchen,” she said and began leading them to the location.

 

After arriving and searching for a few minutes, nothing was found. Elizabeta could have sworn she put the recipe book in the cupboards along with several other cookbooks. With nothing left to do, she could only guide them to the door and exchange farewells.  

 

“Oh! Right! I think I lend it to Vash because he wanted to make a cake for Lilli. You could go ask him if he has the book,” Elizabeta recalled.

 

“Alright. Thank you!” Matthew said and began exiting the house.  

 

“Wait! Actually, if you are going over, can you bring something for me? Recently, Lilli developed an interest in sewing and I have some fabrics that are perfect for her. She really wanted to make something for Vash but never had the material to do so. It would be a really great help if you could do it,” Elizabeta requested.

 

Having a discussion with their eyes, Gilbert granted Matthew permission to accept the mission. It wouldn’t be too much of a detour in their day off. Plus, he really did want to see Lilli again and have a man to man discussion with Vash. He sure knows his stuff once it came to rifles.

 

Elizabeta sprinted up the stairs and grabbed rolls of black fabric before returning to the door. She handed it off with a grateful smile and rewarded the two by stuffing a freshly baked cookie she swiped on her route through the kitchen in each of their mouths.

 

“Thanks again. Come back and visit anytime Matthew! Gilbert, just stay the hell away,” she pleaded before slamming the door shut.

 

They deposited the fabric in the back seats before entering the car. They buckled up their seat belts and ignited the engine. Before five minutes had passed, they already arrived at their destination.

 

Unlike Roderich’s place, this house had a magnificent front lawn littered with flowers of every colour. Gilbert smiled a little since he knew these must be the work of Lilli, his adopted cousin.

 

Vash was nine when he found the five year-old girl passed out on the street. He quickly rescued her with a trip to the hospital and discovered she was abandoned. Making it his responsibility to care for the girl, he convinced his parents it was only right that she stayed with them since they were the ones who found her. The four of them were a happy family that Gilbert was slightly envious of. Ten years later, although their parents had moved on, the two are still living together and continued on their family.

 

“Oh! Big brother Gilbert! You came to visit!” Lilli called from her hiding spot within the grass. She was tending to some lilies when she heard movement coming from the front of the house. After looking up from her gardening, she found it was her older cousin and his boyfriend.

 

“Hey Lilli! Elizabeta had us bring over some fabric for you,” Gilbert said.

 

The pair followed a neatly paved path of stones that ended once it got to the front porch. Lilli also made her way over and put away some gardening tools on the table beside some chairs, perfectly set up for a spontaneous chat outside the house.

 

Lilli flashed a bright smile and thanked the two when she accepted the fabric. She left the front door unlocked when she decided to garden that morning. Turning the knob of the door, she opened it and welcomed the couple into her home.

 

“Vash is in his study if you need anything. Make yourself at home while I go put away the fabric,” she told them before she headed upstairs.

 

They found a seat on the couch and let themselves be relaxed by the scent of flowers seeping in from the opened windows. Gilbert loved the interior designs of the house. It felt cozy, very lived in and alive. The walls were covered in scattered pictures of the family. Though the recent ones only content the two, the older ones told a tale of happiness. There were pictures of the extended family, with all of Gilbert’s other cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. There was a photo of all the little children playing together from when they were younger; Elizabeta was even included.

 

Matthew was happy. He got to see a part of Gilbert’s childhood. It warmed his heart seeing the obvious care and affection he held for his two cousins. Deciding his boyfriend was in need of a kiss, he gave a little peck on both of Gilbert’s cheeks.

 

“What was that for?” Gilbert asked with a smile.

 

“Just felt like it,” Matthew replied with a smile equally as wide.

 

The two were about to go in for lip contact when they were interrupted.

 

“Ahem,” an intentional clearing of the throat sounded out.

 

The couple pulled away with a sight blush and gave their attention to the newcomer of the room. Vash was staring at the two of them with a questioning look on his face.

 

“Why were you two about to make out, in my house, where Lilli could easily walk in and be scarred for the rest of her life?” Vash asked.

 

“Stop babying her, Vash. She’s not as innocent as you think,” Gilbert retorted.

 

Vash’s expression darkened. It was frightening. Gilbert would very much like to turn back time and slap himself before he managed to seal his own coffin by hammering in the last nail.

 

“Are you implying that Lilli is impure?” Vash challenged with venom fixed in his tone.

 

“Calm down Vash! You know that’s not what I meant! I just- I- UGH! Just kill me now,” Gilbert blurted out.

 

“Gladly,” Vash responded before heading off to grab a rifle.

 

Once he returned, Gilbert was on the floor begging for forgiveness while Matthew was trying the mend the situation by shouting for everyone to remain calm.

Vash loaded the weapon and aimed it at Gilbert. Gilbert had never been more frighten in his life. He’d never angered Vash over the issue of Lilli before. He used to laugh at the victims of Vash’s overprotectiveness but now he held great sympathy for them.

 

“STOP!” Lilli commanded as she tried to lower her brother’s rifle.

 

“Oh my god! Lilli! Thank you! I thought I was going to die,” Gilbert exclaimed close to tears.

 

“What happened?” she asked Vash.

 

“He questioned your purity, I questioned his worthiness of living,” Vash deadpanned.

 

“Brother, you know that I love and you everything right? Sometimes though, I just want to be left alone to handle my problems. I’m pretty sure it was a misunderstanding and it’s not something you should be waving around a rifle for. Next time, defend me when I need defending, okay?” Lilli lectured.

 

Vash nodded in understanding but still kept his glare on his cousin. Great. Gilbert was on Vash’s hit list now. No one wants to be on Vash’s hit list. It was truly a hellish situation.

 

“Er, Lilli,” Vash called with a tint of pink colouring his cheeks.

 

“Yes?” the blonde answered innocently.

 

“You can let go now,” he said while gesturing towards his arms with his eyes.

 

Startled, she jumped away a little too fast and in the process bumped into a vase, emptying its contents onto the floor.

 

“Oops,” her face turning a bright red from embarrassment.

 

“I’ll go and grab something to clean this up,” she said before she disappeared into another room.

 

The three males stood in the room filled with a suffocating tension. Gilbert and Matthew once again found refuge on the couch while Vash leaned back against a wall.

 

“How did you get in the house exactly?” Vash asked after a minute of silence.

 

“Lilli let us in while we were delivering some fabrics for Elizabeta,” Matthew answered not wanting his boyfriend to somehow anger the swiss again.

 

“Shouldn’t you guys be leaving then?”

 

“Elizabeta mentioned that you borrowed a recipe book the other day and I that I should ask you if I want it,” Matthew explained. “Are you done with it?”

 

Without a word, Vash exited the room and returned with a black notebook seconds later. He handed the book over to Matthew and waited for him to check it over.

 

“Was that the book you were looking for?”

 

“Ah! Yes! Thank you!” the blonde stood up and bowed.

 

He used his hand to signal their need of departure to the albino hoping he would understand. Luckily, he managed to figure it out and began walking towards the door too.

 

“Thanks Vash, we'll be leaving now. Say bye to Lilli for us,” Gilbert said as he opened the door.

 

Vash just waved them off from where he was standing and moved to help clean the spill.

 

“God. That was tense,” Gilbert stated when they left the house.

 

“It wouldn’t have been that way if you didn’t anger your cousin,” Matthew reminded him.

 

“Hey! It’s not my fault that he has a problem. I mean, he’s way too overprotective of Lilli. I get that she’s his adopted sister and all but the way he acted was as if he’s some type of yandere boyfriend. Like, can’t he just tone it down a little? No need to kill me over one little slip of the tongue,” Gilbert complained.

 

“I thought it was cute,” Matthew admitted.

 

“Whatever. Where do you want to go now?” he asked the blonde.

 

“Since we’re in the neighbourhood, why not go visit your brother?” Matthew suggested.

 

“Sure,” the albino agreed.

 

Again, they drove for a little bit before halting in front of a house. They went to the door and knocked several times before a response was acquired.

 

Feliciano, Ludwig’s fiance, answered the door. He wore this dumb smile that somehow made everyone admit defeat. He was overly excited about their appearance for whatever reason and shouted for Ludwig to come. Needless to say, they were dragged into the house by the enthusiastic italian.  

 

Gilbert always thought his brother had a weird taste in guys. The italian was too whiny and happy in his opinion. As time went on, he saw the effects the bubbly brunette had on him. His little brother -who smiled so little that he could count all the times with his fingers- always had a faint smile every time he was around the ray of sunshine. Hence, Gilbert learned to get use to having a slightly whiny little brother.

 

“Feliciano, how many times have I told to you not shout in the house?” a complaint was voiced by Ludwig.

 

“Brother! Aren’t you going to greet us?” Gilbert asked faking offence.

 

The blonde let out a small sigh with a hint of affection mixed in, tolerance for his annoying older brother.

 

“Nice to see you, brother. Matthew, have you been well?” Ludwig greeted.

 

“I’m doing fine. You look as well as ever, Ludwig,” Matthew politely returned.

 

Just then, a loud beep buzzed from the kitchen. Confusion arose from not knowing what the cause was. Suddenly, the brunette recalled something and dash for the kitchen leaving behind his worried fiance.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to follow him?” Gilbert wondered.

 

“I’m sure he can take care of himself,” Ludwig said dismissively.

 

The raise of an eyebrow from Gilbert made Ludwig second-guess his decision. On one hand, the italian knew more about the kitchen than him and could probably take care of the situation himself if it was food related. However, the last time the blonde let Feliciano do something by himself, he managed to summon five firetrucks, seven police cars, and a confused squad of girl scouts to their front door. It was not pleasant. Another incident that Ludwig could not erase from his memory was the tomato-box incident. In other words, he could not leave his fiance alone for even five minutes to tend to his other business.

 

“I’m starting to rethink my decision now,” Ludwig admitted.

 

Gilbert gave a slight ‘I told you so’ smirk while Matthew tugged on his arm in disapproval of his rudeness. The albino let out a pout and pleaded for forgiveness. The blonde sighed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

 

Ludwig cleared his throat to drag the two back to reality. They did realize that Ludwig probably didn’t want to see his older brother being all lovey-dovey with someone but couldn’t help it. It was fun to tease him, a mutual agreement was forged between the two. The way that he gets fluttered brought joy to his older brother.

 

“Pasta~” the italian returned and thrusted plates of spaghetti in their faces.

 

“What was the issue in the kitchen?” the german demanded preparing for plan number fifty-five if his predictions were correct.

 

“Nothing. It was just the timer. I made pasta. Who wants some?” the brunette offered.

 

Damn it. It was plan fifty-five. Pasta for lunch yet again. The blonde scrambled for reasons to not have the spaghetti and tried finding a perfect opportunity to sneak  off to his secret stash of sausages that he kept in his office. Luckily, his brother and his boyfriend were visiting. For once he found himself being thankful for the presence of his brother, a scapegoat he could use to get rid of the tedious pasta. It was perfect.

 

“Brother, would you and Matthew like to stay for lunch?” Ludwig asked.

 

Gilbert’s eye lit up. Tears were beginning to form as if a victim had just finish streaming the whole Clannad series. Basically, he was an over-emotional ball of spiky white hair who was blessed by his brother’s invitation. He was doubting his brother’s intentions but needless to say, he accepted with a blinding smile and a bone-crushing hug.

 

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Matthew inquired.

 

“Of course not! The more the merrier! I made enough pasta to feed a hungry family of ten!” Feliciano exclaimed.

 

“Feliciano! What did I said about making the fitting amount of food for a single meal!? We still have the pizza you made from yesterday and that whole bowl of tomato sauce,” Ludwig scolded.

 

“It’s fine. We can bring some over to Kiku and maybe he could give some to his dad and his dad can bring some to Arthur because he sucks at cooking,” Feliciano said solving the whole problem.

 

“I don’t think Yao would appreciate the pasta as much as you would think due to his obsession with Chinese food. I mean, that man has rice three meals a day. But, I agree with the Arthur comment. He can’t cook to save his life,” Gilbert dissed.

 

“Hey! That’s my adopted dad you are talking about! He’s not so bad,” Matthew defended.

 

“His food taste like trash,” Feliciano insulted.

 

“If Feli, the actual ray of sunshine who is always positive about everything, is willing to insult someone, then there is no arguing against that,” Gilbert concluded.

 

“Okay. His food might be a bit bland and lacks taste and...I actually can’t find anything nice to say either,” Matthew reluctantly confessed.

 

“We can take some pasta to Kiku later,” Ludwig agreed. “However, Kiku must be the one to hand over the pasta to Yao because I refuse to go there with the possibility of running into Ivan.”

 

“What’s wrong with running into Kiku’s other dad?” Matthew questioned.

 

“Ivan insulted his beer the other day at work and tried to convert him into drinking vodka instead. Ludwig’s holding a grudge,” the italian explained.

 

“Aww. My little brother is afraid of some russian man,” Gilbert teased.

 

As soon as that sentence left Gilbert’s mouth, he felt a sharp jab at his stomach. He leaned against Matthew in support and hunched over. For a younger brother, Ludwig sure was more fit and well trained.

 

“Remind me to never do that again,” Gilbert said to no one in particular.

 

“What am I going to do with you?” Matthew wondered.

 

“Kiss it to make it better,” the albino demanded with a smirk.

 

Matthew rolled his eyes but processed to do so anyways.

 

“Alright, let’s eat now,” Ludwig broke the two up and hurried everyone to the dining table.

 

It was mouth watering- the meal. Feliciano had somehow prepared it during their bantering. The table had plates and bowls filled with a variety of appetizing food. Four plates of spaghetti sat proudly on the table coated by a thick layer of tomato sauce; Feliciano insisted it would bring flavour to the dish. Some garlic bread found its way into the mix making Gilbert question whether or not he should risk his minty breath for some. The answer was always yes. Some mashed potatoes were added to fit the german’s cravings as well as some sausages.

 

In the end, Ludwig never managed to escape his fate of devouring the pasta. It was actually quite good with the addition of his company. They laughed, chatted, even argued sometimes but overall it was one of the best lunches ever. Matthew felt a little out of place at first, but quickly adapted. He even became the centre of attention at one point. His impromptu poutine making lesson was very welcomed in the Beilschmidt-Vargas household. Feliciano ended up exchanging recipes with him while Gilbert and Ludwig were out in the yard playing with the blonde’s dogs and having brotherly-bonding time.

 

After a while, Feliciano and Matthew brought some cool drinks for the two men outside of the house. They were sweating from running around in the sun for a couple of hours. Gilbert tried to give Matthew a hug jokingly but the blonde ran and hid behind a dog before it happened. They played cat and mouse, running around in circles for a little until the albino finally succeeded in capturing the blonde in a fierce hug.

 

“Haha! How does this feel? You like it?” Gilbert cheered being proud of his deed while Matthew is squirming within his grip.

 

“Gilbert! Let go! You are all sweaty and gross!” Matthew objected.

 

“Never! I’ve captured you fair and square and I’m never letting you go!” Gilbert hugged Matthew even tighter.

 

“Stop flirting you two and help us with cleaning up the yard,” Ludwig commanded after he rounded up the dogs.

 

During the course of the afternoon, an obstacle course was built in the yard. It took some time taking it down but with four sets of hands it was accomplished easier than thought. Although, Gilbert did more playing than helping trying to crawl through the pipes and jumping over hurdles every possible moment he could. In the end, Matthew persuaded him with promises of pancakes later that week. The albino worked twice as hard after hearing the comment.

 

Once the yard was cleaned up, Feliciano proposed that they play a quick game before Gilbert and Matthew leave. They all agreed, thinking it would be fun (with the exception of Ludwig who was bribed by the lack of pasta for the next three meals). Since Feliciano was the one who wanted to play a game, it was only fair that he would choose what it was. His most desired game at the moment was a piggy-back race, causing the three who agreed to doubt their contracts.

 

Teams were split so the couples remained together. Ludwig had no choice but to be the base of the pair since there was no way the weak italian could support the weight of the more well-built german. On the other hand, Gilbert insisted on carrying Matthew since he pride himself in his strength and refused to let his boyfriend accidentally injure himself trying to carry the prussian.

 

It was short race of a hundred metres, determined by the landmark of Feliciano’s tomato garden (a gift he received from his brother, Romano). The signal for the start of the race was unclear though.

 

Feliciano suddenly let out a battle cry and urged the blonde to carry him to the finish line. They were a good five metres ahead before the other couple noticed the advance and began their hot pursuit.

 

“That was playing dirty!” Gilbert complained while trying to run as quick as he possibly could.

 

Matthew clinged tightly to him like a tree sloth hugging a branch to prevent itself from falling. Gilbert let out a smile when he felt the shaking of the blonde. He reassured him and tighten his hold on the blonde. He began accelerating to catch up with his brother.

 

Feliciano and Ludwig were in the lead, but somehow, instead of a piggy-back ride, Ludwig was princess-carrying the brunette. Feliciano cheered with excitement and begged Ludwig to increase his speed. Having heard his request, the german god stepped harder on his pedal and ran on turbo boost. Doubling his speed, he easily reached the finish point before his brother.

 

He lowered his fiance down carefully and wiped away the sweat accumulating from the exercise. The brunette didn’t care about the sweat at all; a hug was deserved at the moment. He also included a kiss on the cheeks as a bonus.

 

Gilbert, however, was on the ground panting in exhaustion. Matthew was bent down beside him tending to his needs. He ranted to the blonde about how his brother was marrying a cheater. Ludwig appeared beside Matthew and gave his brother a slap for trash-talking his fiance.

 

“Blame yourself for being slow,” Ludwig said before walking away to join his fiance once more.  

 

“My brother is a traitor,” he gasped in horror.

 

Matthew just patted his head in comfort (probably a bad choice since it might damage his brain even further).

 

Now, it was Matthew and Gilbert’s turn to witness PDA with Ludwig and Feliciano. Honestly, it was cute. The shorter man was clinging tightly to his brother and praising him for his strength. Gilbert mentally gave approval when his brother displayed that more frequently found smile. The scene was giving the albino diabetes. His partner agreed with his thoughts, letting out a small coo at the two.

 

Feliciano and Ludwig noticed the two onlookers and reacted according to their different personalities. Feliciano, the always optimistic ray of sun, laughed a little and continued his grip on the german. Ludwig, the serious commander, did an one-eighty rotation and turned into a bashful schoolgirl. His blush turned his entire face as red as Romano’s tomatoes.

“Haha! Bro, that’s so lame. Blushing because you got kissed. Oh my god!” Gilbert teased whilst ruffing his brother’s hair.

 

At that moment, Matthew felt extremely playful and got an idea. He sneaked up behind Gilbert when he was occupied with his mocking and coiled his arms around his waist. With a swift movement, he landed a peck on the albino’s right cheek and pulled back before Gilbert had time to react.

 

The end result was as good if not better than what Matthew hoped for. Not only did his face flush red, he also fell from the shock. Gilbert was reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess on the ground.

 

Feliciano came over and high-fived the blonde.

 

“Thank you for shutting him up,” Ludwig was thankful for Matthew’s interference.

 

Gilbert stayed on the ground and whined about his boyfriend leaving for the dark side.

 

“I thought you liked the light side. After all, I’m here,” he tried.

 

“The dark side has pasta,” Matthew retorted.

 

“The light side has pancakes,” Gilbert argued.

 

“Oh fine. I was missing the whiny boyfriend anyways,” Matthew joked.

 

“Yay!” Gilbert cheered when his boyfriend sat down beside him.

 

Matthew was pulled into a hug and Gilbert had no intentions of letting go anytime soon. A couple of kisses were planted on Matthew’s cheeks before the sound of a ring tone interrupted the two.

 

It was recognized as Matthew’s. Gilbert pulled away and grant the blonde the ability to answer his phone.

 

“Hello?” Matthew picked up ending the song mid-verse.

 

“ _Good afternoon brother!”_ Matthew was greeted by a cheerful voice.

 

“Alfred?”

“ _That’s right dear brother of mine,”_ Alfred answered.

 

“Umm...What’s the matter?” Matthew asked, confused as to why his brother would call now of all times.

 

“ _You see, today I have the day off. Suddenly, I thought about dropping by to visit the dads for dinner. Since I’m going, I’m sure they want to see you too. So I was wondering if you are busy today. If not, let’s totally go together! Arthur’s been nagging me to visit him more and I’m not going to survive their bickering without your help,”_ Alfred said.

 

“Well, let me talk it over with Gilbert first,” Matthew told him.

 

He summarized the situation for Gilbert and asked his opinion on whether or not he should follow his brother’s plans. Gilbert gave him thumbs up since he was fond of Alfred and used to joke around with him all the time.

 

“Your parents must miss you right? You should go. Plus, I know how much you wanted the whole family to gather for a while now. Don’t worry about me. I can stay with Ludwig for bit or find something to do at home,” Gilbert prompted.

 

Matthew smiled at him. He gave a quick thanks before returning to his phone call.

 

“Yeah, I’d love to go together!” Matthew responded.

 

“ _Great! Oh, if it’s about Gil, he should totally come along. Francis has been wailing for you to bring him over again soon. He wanted to and I quote ‘give him love advice on how to properly entice a lover’. Ugh. Gives me shivers when I think about it. The old man’s the same as always. He wants to use Gilbert as a test subject for his new and improved crumpets. Believe me, I had them and they tasted the same as always. Bland and disgusting. Anyways, bring Gil around,”_ Alfred urged.

 

“I don’t know. I don’t think Gilbert should be exposed to my crazy parents if I could help it,” Matthew said with uncertainty.

 

“Is this about visiting your parents?” Gilbert questioned. “If yes, I’d totally want to go! C’mon Matthew! Please let me tag along! I promise I won’t destroy anymore tea sets this time,” Gilbert threw in some puppy-eyes.

 

“Fine,” Matthew grumbled with a sigh.

 

“Yeah, okay. I’m bring along Gilbert,” Matthew talked back to the phone.

 

Cheering could be heard; Alfred’s cheering. Matthew ended up being temporarily deaf for a minute before he regained his hearing. He made a note to lower the volume when talking to his brother next time.

 

“Anyways, did you call ahead to let them know?” Matthew reminded.

 

“ _Not yet. I’ll do it after this call ends. But seriously, we should be more worried about our stomachs tonight. A full course meal cooked by Arthur Kirkland, literally the worst cook on earth. I still don’t understand how Francis managed to put up with him for so long. Warn your boyfriend about the trashy food, kay?_ ”

 

“I’m pretty sure our lunches were enough of a warning back in high school,” Matthew chuckled.

 

“ _Don’t bring that up. I remember how we never really ate it and blew our allowance on buying lunch from the cafeteria. Their food was pretty bad too, but definitely heaven when compared to Arthur’s. I wonder why Francis never cooked for us that often. I mean, that man can make amazing french cuisine. Ha. Probably because he was a lazy bum,_ ” his brother laughed.

 

“His escargot was a little creepy but I loved his beef stew. Francis was too busy with his job, remember. Besides, Arthur had the most free time since he was a stay home author who’d just write whenever he felt like it,” Matthew reminded him.

 

“ _Kay. We can continue this later. Do you have any other problems? Or can I hang up and proceed to the one hour phone call I’ll probably have with Arthur because he’d guilt trip you into thinking he’s a lonely old man who needs company?_ ”

 

“That’s all, I guess. Bye! See you later,” Matthew hung up.   

 

He looked over to Gilbert and communicated the message through their eyes, a useful skill that couples developed after spending a fair amount of time together. They both got up and walked over to Feliciano and Ludwig to bid their farewells.

 

“Leaving so soon?” Feliciano asked a little disappointed.

 

“Yeah,” Gilbert said apologetically.

 

“We’ll drop by and meet again soon,” Matthew promised the friend he had grown closer to over the course of the afternoon.

 

“Yes! Please do!” Feliciano begged.

 

“Brother,” Ludwig called.

 

Gilbert turned around and gave a look of anticipation. His eyes shone hopefully in thought of the endless possibilities that Ludwig would call him for. A plead to ‘not go so soon’ and ‘stay behind for a while’. Perhaps a nice ‘I’ll miss you’. Or, the legendary ‘I love you’ might be uttered. Whatever it was, Gilbert had high expectations.

 

“I was wondering...Could you get rid of some pasta for us by bring some to Francis and Arthur since you are going there anyways?” Ludwig asked with sanguine expectations.

 

Thump. Gilbert embraced the ground with his face from his brother’s comment. How could he hate him so? Was he always an afterthought for his brother? He gathered up his remaining strength to curl himself into a ball.

 

Matthew had no choice but take care of his boyfriend after his pride was deeply wounded. He rolled the ball from the patches of grass in the yard to the concrete driveway they parked their car at. He had a bit of trouble wheeling the albino into the passenger’s seat but luckily, the cause of the ball aided the process, enabling the completion of the task.

 

“Sorry about brother,” a little bit of shame could be detected his voice.

 

“I’m used to it. He once cried for an hour because he thought Gilbird died when I was just taking him to the vet for a checkup. Honestly, how did he develop those drama-queen-like traits?” Matthew wanted to know.

 

“Definitely not from my parents. Though, we did have a grandfather that was quite memorable and brother was quite impressionable,” Ludwig recalled.

 

“Ah, I see. Well, I guess we’ll be leaving now. Thank you for allowing our spur-of-the-moment visit and hopefully we can come over soon. Take care!”

 

“Ciao! Come visit soon!” Feliciano bounced up and down while waving frantically.

 

Matthew got into the car and looked over to his boyfriend. Gilbert was still in a trance triggered by heartbreak and wouldn’t snap out of it no matter how much the blonde tried. Failing to get his attention for the seventh time, Matthew just decided to proceed with his plans. He leaned over to buckle the albino’s seatbelt for him since he wasn’t functional enough to do so himself. After adjusting his own, they were ready to head off and visit Matthew’s crazy family.

 

In the middle of the trip, Gilbert came back to his sense, although he was still a bit hungover about his brother. Luckily, he didn’t resort to growing mushrooms and making a hamster home in his own emo corner. However, Matthew did have to put up with the gloomy mood on the way there and his constant mumbles of how his brother doesn’t love him. This made Matthew a bit unhappy since going to visit his family was something he was hyped for and Gilbert’s reassessment of his relationship with his brother was dragging down the mood.

 

Arthur and Francis were very important in his life along with his twin brother Alfred. He and his brother were orphans from a divorced marriage. When they were younger, their parents split up and moved to different countries from England. Matthew, with his mother, went to Canada while their father brought Alfred to settle in America. Both the sibling were put up for adoption due to their parents’ inability to raise a child due to financial issues and how the two reminded their parents of a broken relationship. Hence, the two lived in different orphanages for a period of their lives.  

 

Arthur and Francis were the ones who dangled a spider thread in front of their faces and allowed them to climb out of whatever dark limbo they were in. The young married couple looked for a child to adopt since they couldn’t bare children themselves. They stumbled across Alfred and was instantly drawn to him. They lived happily for a while in the family of three. One day, they found Alfred crying while staring at a commercial featuring twins. Matthew and Alfred were separate at a young age but even if the mind doesn’t remember, the body will.

 

Thus, finding out about a possible sibling of their son, they sought to reunite the two. It seemed hopeless at first, since there was no guarantee this child existed other than Alfred’s intense reactions to the concept of twins. Through days worth of hard work and perseverance, they finally got a lead from an orphanage in Canada. The two kind-hearted dads of Alfred dropped everything they were doing at the moment and immediately booked tickets for Canada. They followed the red string of fate and arrived at the destination.

 

After seeing each other for the first time in forever, the twin’s twin senses awaken and they broke down crying. They hugged each other tightly and refused to let each other go again. Arthur and Francis adopted Matthew on the spot with no hesitations. They had this discussion beforehand. Arthur knew the struggles of coming from a complicated family and the importance of having a sibling be there for you. Meeting Matthew also ignited the same spark the felt when they met Alfred. Perhaps the feeling was foreshadowing their life time opportunity to create the perfect family. Whatever it was, they listened and gave the seven year-old twins a place to call home and a family to return to.

 

Matthew’s reminiscence did great deals to lift his mood. He was truly blessed to be adopted by Arthur and Francis, to be given a second chance at a family after the previous devastation.

 

Before long, Matthew reached the source of his happiness, the place he could always return to if he’d ever have any doubts about his place in the world, a place he could always call home no matter what.

 

Matthew excited got of the car and wandered around the front yard a little. Gilbert came beside him reached for one of his hands to hold. Matthew let him. The two took a moment of silence and immersed themselves within their surroundings. Matthew looked so at peace that Gilbert caught his breath a little.

 

Suddenly, the blonde went on the move lugging the albino with him. He began to talk animatedly about events that occurred within the yard with a bright smile. Gilbert listened to every word, happy get an insight of what his boyfriend’s childhood was like.

 

“-And it was at that moment that Alfred realized he shouldn’t have climbed up a tree so tall. He literally began brawling his eyes out on the spot because he was so frightened. Arthur and Francis were so worried and panicked they didn’t know what else to do and defaulted to blaming each other and bickering. I ran into the house and called for 911 since everyone else was just screaming. Alfred was rescued and the firemen were so confused as to why a twelve-year-old kid was crying on a tree,” Matthew chuckled softly.

 

“I’m so thankful for all the blackmail material I’m gaining,” the albino joined in on the chuckling.  

 

“We should be heading inside soon,” Gilbert said.

 

“Not yet,” Matthew leaned his head against Gilbert’s shoulder and closed his eyes. “I want to remain like this a little longer.”

 

“Okay,” Gilbert agreed in an affectionate whisper.

 

The two stay together in a moment of bliss shielded by the shadow of the tree. They felt a gentle breeze tickling their faces and styling their hair. Each others’ heart beats could’ve been heard. Gilbert leaned against Matthew, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. They felt incredibly in love at the moment they were granted.

 

“Dude, I came out to have a fun time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now. I was suppose to meet with my family after a long while, not to be ambushed with seeing my brother being astonishingly gay with one my friends. Seriously, this is a public area, tone down the pda,” an obnoxious voice interrupted the moment.

 

“Alfred. Not cool bro. I was having a moment with your brother. It was nice. Yet you have to ruin it like you do with everything else,” Gilbert dissed.

 

“Excuse me if I wanted to stop this moment before you two proceeded to face sucking each other,” Alfred argued.

 

The two had a glaring contest. It lasted exactly five seconds before they broke it off by running towards each other in slow motion.

 

“Bro!” Gilbert longingly called out.

 

“Bro!” Alfred did the same thing and began developing teary eyes.

 

After an one minute slow motion run, they met in the middle with a bro-hug.

 

“I miss you, bro,” Alfred admitted, letting his tears fall freely.

 

“Me too, bro,” Gilbert said also breaking the dam that was holding back the flood of tears from seeping down his face.  

 

“Hi, guys. I’m here too,” Matthew awkward mumbled.

 

His cry for attention fell silent and the two bros continued their bromantic embrace. After about five minutes, they decided to bring the conversation inside the house.

 

The three went and knocked on the door. They also rang the doorbell a couple of times. Finally, Arthur, opened the door and released a puff of smoke onto the visitors. He coughed a couple of times but beckoned them instead. Once Gilbert and Alfred entered, he closed the door behind them.

 

“Don’t mind the smoke, I was just baking some scones,” Arthur brushed off. “Anyways, nice of you to finally come home and visit Alfred. Gilbert, always a pleasure to have you here. Matthew doing well by the way?” Arthur’s question caused everyone to facepalm.

 

Dear god. They did it again. Whenever there were too many people, Matthew’s weak presence was always forgotten. Arthur just slammed the door on his son. Father-of-the-year right there.

 

They quickly opened the door and dragged Matthew in. A thousand apologies were given to try and excuse their worthlessness for forgetting him. Gilbert clung tightly to the blonde and kept giving him kisses on the cheeks to try and gain forgiveness. Matthew sighed and revealed that he was mad at all, just, disappointed.

 

“What happened?” Francis asked as he came from the smoke generating kitchen.

 

“I was locked out of the house,” Matthew supplied.

 

“Mon dieu! Who would do that to you?”

 

“Everyone that I loved, minus you,” he replied.

 

This rallied another round of wailing for forgiveness and bows of apology. Matthew let himself embrace this one moment of remembrance before putting it to a halt.

 

“You guys can stop now,” he said.

 

They did and got up from the floor. However, Gilbert switched from a bow to a hug and smothered Matthew.

 

“Gilbert, you can stop now,” Matthew said.

 

“Don’t want to,” the albino childish responded.

 

“Why don’t we have a sit in the living room?” Arthur offered.

 

“Show them to the living room, dear. I have to finish cooking,” Francis gave Arthur a deep kiss before departing.

 

“French idiot kissing me like that in front of the kids,” Arthur mumbled in disapproval.

 

Alfred and Gilbert just groaned at the sight while Matthew silently cheered for his loving parents.

 

They took a seat in the living room. Matthew was sitting in Gilbert’s lap due to insistence since there weren’t a lot of seats.

 

“I’m sorry for the lack of seats in the house,” Arthur apologized. “The big couch is currently being cleaned so these are all the seats we have to work with.”

 

“Not a problem. This gives me a reason to have my boyfriend sit on my lap,” Gilbert mused.

 

Alfred laughed and got up to high-five his bro for being so smooth while his actual brother was dying of embarrassment.

 

They carried on the light conversation before Francis called for dinner to be started. They found their seats at the dinner table and shared their praise for the chef. Matthew was delighted when he saw the beef stew he was in love with and heavily recommended it to his boyfriend.

 

“Next time we are having another family dinner I’ll be sure to cook,” Arthur guaranteed.

 

“No thanks old man. I’d rather stick to high-class french cuisine rather than your bland English junk,” Alfred commented with a mouthful of pot au feu.

 

“Glad to see people with actual taste enjoying my meals,” Francis smirked.

 

“Whatever,” Arthur grumbled.

 

The dinner finished without a hitch (Kirkland-Bonnefoy standards of course). Arthur and Francis bickered like the happy old-married-couple they are with occasional passionate kisses thrown into the mix. Question and teasing went about with the family of blondes zoning in on the topic of Matthew and Gilbert’s relationship.

 

A baguette fight broke out between Matthew and Gilbert to decide who was Alfred’s best bro. Matthew was taunted into the fight and pressured by Alfred’s tears of sadness when he wasn’t willing to fight. Giving up what little pride he had left, he began hammering his lover with a piece of bread. Hearing his brother’s happy cheering was enough motivation to finish Gilbert off in the duel for his brother’s affections. He took a huge swing at the albino face and knock him off his chair. Needless to say, he was dubbed the grand champion while his boyfriend was on the ground drowning in his pile of salty tears. Alfred was about to comfort his fallen bro when he was disgusted with the salt levels. He turned away and hugged the bro that won. Matthew was questioning how he was still sane.

 

Arthur and Alfred had a heated discussion about the American Revolution while Francis and Matthew just congratulated Canada’s independence. Then you have Gilbert, who took this time to cry about his dead country and how the Prussian Empire should’ve remained. Thankfully, he was cheered up by Matthew’s kisses.

 

At the end of dinner, they split up into two groups. Francis, Alfred and Gilbert were whisked away to the lounge and had a manly competition of trying not to cry at anime series by Key. Arthur and Matthew stayed behind in the kitchen to clean up after dinner.

 

At the lounge, the three men were reduced to tears at the episode featuring Yui for Angel Beats! They were a mess of limbs hugging each other in comfort of the depression events. Truly a bro activity to do together. The new episode was loading while Alfred broken the sobbing silence.

 

“Bro, I feel like I have to do this talk at least once in my live so I’ll do it now,” Alfred gave a heads up. “I will impale you if you make my brother cry like this okay? You can cry, I don’t care about your manliness. However, if I see my brother shed one tear you are done,” he finished with a growl.

 

“I agreed with Alfred. If you dare harm my precious angel, I will make sure you receive an even uglier version of the baguette war. You will suck bread,” Francis threatened.

 

“Whoa. Chill bros. You know I wouldn’t hurt Matthew for anything in the world. Actually, with this opportunity I was thinking of discussing something else with the two of you…” Gilbert trailed off.

 

The two gave him a questioning look and signaled for him to continue once all of their tears were dried. The mood was serious and there was no joke.

 

“You see, I was kind of...Umm...I just... IWOULDLIKEYOURBLESSINGTOPROPOSETOMATTHEW!” Gilbert choked out.

 

Their eyes widened and mouths hang agape. It was a huge shock. Sure they knew the two were going to stick together forever but an actual engagement? The surprised expressions morphed into smiles full of approval.

 

“I know that if there’s anyone who could make my brother happy, it would be you,” Alfred gave Gilbert a pat on the back. “I will grant you my blessing bro, but remember my promise of making your life hell,” he warned.

 

“Gilbert, you are a good man. As a father, no one would ever be good enough for my little Mattie. You make him happy; I’m not blind. For his happiness, I am willing to offer up my blessing as well. However, may your future be full of bread-beating if you ever betray our trust.”  

 

They pulled him in for a hug and ruffled his hair; universal message for approval. Gilbert felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. Alfred and Francis were chanting and cheering him on while a soft melody from the anime played in background.

 

Meanwhile, Arthur and Matthew were slumped on the couch in exhaustion. They finished tidying up the table and hand washed the many pots, pans, dishes and utensils required to create this meal. They also mopped up the floors and prepared some dessert if the family was ever hungry for more food. Now, they relaxed on the couch enjoying the peace lack of rowdy men.

 

“Honey,” Arthur broken the silence. “Are you happy?” he asked all of a sudden.

 

“I...Well...Yeah,” Matthew said. “Sometimes I get stressed and tired over my job but once I go home, it just dispels. Gilbert, he helped me through so much, I would’ve broken down so early on without him. Yes. I’m satisfied with my life. We may not be working our dream jobs or are making tons of money but we have enough to sustain ourselves. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” he finished off with a smile.

 

Arthur smiled too and gave the blonde a motherly hug. He kissed his forehead and pulled away.

 

“I’m glad you feel this way. I guess this is really the time for the baby chicks to fly from their nest and learn to deal with the world. Just know, no matter what might happen in the future, you’ll always have a home here,” Arthur conveyed with emotion.

 

“I know,” Matthew whisper.  

  


The night was coming to an end. The family felt warm and complete with the addition of Gilbert to the household. Alfred was staying the night claiming he forgot his house keys (he has them in his pockets but didn’t want to admit it). The Kirkland-Bonnefoy household all gathered outside to bid them farewell and demanded for their return sometime soon.

 

Matthew remembered the pasta they were asked to deliver and brought it out from the car. Alfred murmured a prayer of thanks for having edible breakfast in the morning.

 

“We had fun today. We’ll totally swing by again soon,” Gilbert promised and added a wink to Alfred and Francis to communicate the hidden message.

 

“I’m sure you will,” Francis responded with the same wink.

 

“Sheesh, you too better stop your flirting with each other or I might ask for a divorce,” Arthur called out.

 

“Aww, you jealous?” Francis teased his husband.

 

“N-No,” Arthur flusteredly replied with a face of crimson.

 

“See you soon bro!” Alfred energetically yelled.

 

“I’ll miss you bro!” Gilbert shouted with the same energy.

 

“Thank you, Arthur, Francis. I could never ask for a better family,” Matthew was close to tears.

 

“We love you too,” they said in unison.

 

The drove back under the cover of night in silence. The radio was set on the lowest setting providing some background music but not too loud as to disrupt the peace. In a good relationship silence was comfortable and no words were needed to communicate ‘I love you’. This was one of those times. Although the car was filled with silence, they transmitted screams of ‘I love you’ to each other.

 

They arrived home pretty late and decided it would be more efficient to bathe together and safe time. Tomorrow they would be required to wake up early so the sooner they rest the better.

 

The couple filled the bathtub with water and bubble-solution (Gilbert’s idea). Of course with the addition of bubbles, the time spent on bathing was doubled instead of halved. They didn’t mind, though.

 

Gilbert was like a kid, he splashed water onto the floors as pulled the water around enthusiastically trying to generate waves. Matthew was splashed sometimes but endured due to the laughter the albino gave off. They took turned scrubbing each other’s backs and threw bubbles around.

 

After a few minutes of cleaning the bathroom, they continued their nighttime preparations. They brushed their teeths and cleaned their faces. They also readied their clothes for the next day and organized anything they might need for work tomorrow.

 

Once they were finished, they snuggled in bed together. Gilbert drew the blanket over himself and his boyfriend. He also took ahold of the blonde and became the big spoon to his little spoon.

 

“Were you happy today? Sorry that we had to spend over time together with so many others when it was suppose to be our day off,” Gilbert apologized.

 

“I didn’t mind at all. I was with you the whole day, wasn’t I?” Matthew whispered with his remaining energy.

 

Gilbert gave him a soft peck and whispered an ‘I love you’.

 

Matthew responded the same way before dozing off from the void of energy left to fuel his engine. Gilbert smiled and closed his eyes as well, joining him in the journey to sleep.

 

It didn’t matter if their perfect day was derailed from its schedule nor did it matter that a day was spent with no purpose. It wasn’t about the fortunate events that might occur during the course of the day or having the worst thing that could ever happen happen. Life is unpredictable. Enjoy the ride rather than stress about what might change from your ideal plans. What matters is the memories you forged alongside a loved one. Replaceable. Unchangeable.

 

It might not be the best day ever for any other couple but for Gilbert and Matthew, this was the most fun they ever had. The day was spent with each other and their loved ones, what more could they possibly ask for? The two happily slept, clinging tightly to each other while recalling the adventures of their bizarre day-off.

  


**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY CYNTHIA!!!!!!! I killed myself while writing this. Thanks DusDaDwarf and indigoandazure for editing. It just so happens that today's episode of YOI has canon Viktuuri but I have to finish this first. I'M THE BEST DIVORCEE IN THE WORLD CAUSE THIS IS THE LONGEST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN AND ITS FOR YOU! Have a wonderful birthday!!! Go eat some vegan cake and see you tomorrow.
> 
> P.S. Since its your birthday, this is the only place where you can find me saying/typing this sentence: PruCan is canon and otp.


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